The fact that the Maple Leafs goalie missed practice Friday due to an irritation to his knee — caused by new knee pads — made headlines in the city. Had he still be in Los Angeles it likely would have passed unnoticed.

“It’s a little different here,” said Bernier, bemused by the attention.

Bernier was back on the ice Saturday at the MasterCard Centre after missing practice with an irritation, the likes of which he’d never felt before. He pulled himself from Thursday’s game, but is expected to play Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres at the ACC.

“I’ve got new knee pads and I guess it was irritating my bones. It started in the morning skate (Thursday) and it got worse in the game,” said Bernier. “That’s why I came off. Brand new knee pads. We made some changes. Hopefully, it will be fine.

“It’s not that you want to take it easy, but at the same time it’s a two-day thing. You want to take care of it so it doesn’t become a two-three week thing.”

James Reimer, battling Bernier for the top job, hasn’t had any problems with the equipment bothering him physically.

“It’s different for every guy,” said Reimer. “It’s different how you do stuff up, and different how it binds. I haven’t had any issues with that.”

Where he has noticed an issue is the sizing of his goal pads — slightly narrower and about two inches smaller than last year.

“The five-hole is now a 5.2 hole,” he said. “As far as pucks sliding through, there’s a bigger hole now. It’s a matter of adapting to it. Nothing too major.”

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.